KR20060092069A - Lens unit and imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The lens unit includes a lens barrel provided with an imaging optical system, a movable lens, and a movable portion configured to move in an optical axis direction associated with the lens barrel, a linear actuator configured to move the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and the movable portion And a holding plate for holding, a plurality of springs for elastically deforming and biasing the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and a bias plate spring including an attachment portion attached to the lens barrel. It is comprised so that the spring force of this bias leaf spring may suppress the moving force which arises in the movable part in the plane orthogonal to an optical axis.

Description

Lens unit and imaging apparatus

1 shows an embodiment according to the invention with reference to FIGS. 2 to 26, and is a perspective view showing a mobile phone as an example of an imaging device.

2 is an enlarged plan view showing an example of a two-dimensional barcode.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging unit.

4 is an exploded perspective view of a partially assembled imaging unit.

5 is an enlarged perspective view of the imaging unit.

6 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of the imaging unit in which the movable portion is held at an infinite position.

7 is an enlarged and exploded perspective view of the lens barrel.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing the first member of the lens barrel as shown at an angle different from that of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the second member of the lens barrel when viewed at an angle different from that of FIG. 7.

10 is an enlarged perspective view of the first bias leaf spring.

11 is an enlarged perspective view of the second bias leaf spring.

12 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the lens holder and the coil holder.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged rear view illustrating a structure in which a second bias leaf spring is attached to a coil holder.

14 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a structure in which a first bias leaf spring and a second bias leaf spring are attached to a movable part.

15 is an enlarged side view of the imaging unit before bonding is performed.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the spatial relationship of the spring portion of the first bias leaf spring to the lens barrel and the movable portion.

17 is a schematic diagram showing the spatial relationship of the spring portion of the second bias leaf spring to the lens barrel and the movable portion.

18 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of the imaging unit in which the movable portion is held at the macro stage.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the force generated at each part whose optical axis direction coincides in the vertical direction.

FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view showing a modification of the bias leaf spring according to FIGS. 21 to 25, and showing the bias leaf spring according to the first modification together with the movable portion. FIG.

21 is an enlarged front view illustrating a bias leaf spring according to the second modification.

22 is an enlarged front view showing a part of the bias leaf spring according to the third modification.

23 is an enlarged front view showing a part of the bias leaf spring according to the fourth modification.

24 is an enlarged front view showing a part of the bias leaf spring according to the fifth modification.

25 is an enlarged front view showing a part of the bias leaf spring according to the sixth modification.

26 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an imaging device provided with two lens units.

* Description of the sign

1. Imaging Device 10. Imaging Unit

10a. Lens unit

35. First bias leaf spring 36. Retention part

37. Spring section 37b. Straight part

38. Attachment part 40. Second bias leaf spring

42. Retention part 43. Spring part

43b. Straight part 44. Attachment part

49. Moving part

The present invention relates to a lens unit and an imaging device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including a lens unit, a lens unit, and the like having a movable portion, which permits a reduction in size and an improvement in operational reliability of the movable portion.

The lens unit constructed by arranging an imaging optical system such as a movable lens in the lens barrel is included in various forms such as a mobile phone as well as a video camera or still camera. An example of such an imaging device is provided with a movable portion having a movable lens for zooming or focusing, and the movable portion can be moved in the optical axis direction by a linear actuator. (For example, Japanese Patent 3387173 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application). See patent application H08-015593).

In such an imaging device, the movable portion is supported to be movable in the optical axis direction by a pair of guide shafts. The movable portion is guided to the pair of guide shafts by the driving force of the linear actuator and moved in the optical axis direction.

In recent years, in the imaging device as described above, a portable form is popular. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the size of such a device.

However, the above-mentioned imaging device has a technical problem of having a guide shaft for guiding the movable part and requiring space for accommodating the guide shaft, thereby inhibiting the reduction in size.

In addition, a clearance of several microns is provided in which the movement of the movable portion on the guide shaft between the bearing portion and the guide shaft can be smoothed. However, this clearance allows for small lateral movement of the movable portion and / or tilting of the movable portion relative to the optical axis. Because of the so-called image shake phenomena in which the image imaging point is out of the picture, that is, the image of the image imaging plane may be slightly shaken, this lateral movement and the tilt of the eastern part may cause the quality of the captured image to be deteriorated. .

In particular, with respect to a portable device, the movement of the movable part in the plane orthogonal to the optical axis direction and the inclination in the optical axis direction may be caused by an orientation or vibration generated by various disturbances such as shock or shaking applied to the device or the like. It is easily caused by change.

In addition, when the movable portion is moved in the optical axis direction in the zoom lens, the focus lens, or the like, the movable portion should be kept in a desired position without causing any micro displacement in the optical axis direction.

Therefore, it is desirable to realize size reduction in the lens unit including the movable portion and / or the imaging device having such a lens or the like. In addition, it is desirable to improve the operation reliability of the lens unit including such a lens unit and / or the movable portion included in the imaging device. The present invention is understood with respect to the technical problem described above.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lens unit and / or an imaging device including such a lens unit is provided. The lens unit includes a lens barrel provided with an imaging optical system, a movable lens, and a movable portion configured to move in an optical axis direction associated with the lens barrel, a linear actuator configured to move the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and the movable portion A holding plate for holding, a plurality of springs for elastically deforming and biasing the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and a bias plate spring including an attachment portion attached to the lens barrel. It is comprised so that the some spring part may suppress the moving force which arises in the movable part in the plane orthogonal to an optical axis.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the movable portion is formed to have an almost circular outline when viewed along the optical axis direction, and the lens barrel is formed to have an almost rectangular outline when viewed along the optical axis direction. Each spring portion of the bias leaf spring may be disposed at one of four corners of the lens barrel.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each spring portion may be formed in a substantially equivalent form to the S-shape.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the pair of bias leaf springs are installed so as to be on the opposite side of the movable portion in the optical axis direction such that a movable portion is located between the pair of bias leaf springs, and the pair of bias plate springs. The springs may press the movable parts to approach each other in the optical axis direction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the spring portions of the pair of bias leaf springs are provided with straight portions each extending in a predetermined direction, and the pair of bias leaf springs are biased different from the straight portions of one bias leaf spring. The straight portions of the leaf spring portion may be configured to be perpendicular to each other.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the movable portion is used as a focusing movable portion, and the pair of bias leaf springs are formed to have different spring forces with respect to the movable portion, and if the linear actuator is not operated, the movable portion is The bias force of the bias leaf spring can be positioned at infinity.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the movable portion is held by a bias blade spring while the movable portion is moved by the driving force of the linear actuator in the optical axis direction.

Thus, this movable portion can be moved in the optical axis direction without inclination or deviation with respect to the optical axis.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, no guide means such as a guide shaft for guiding the movable portion in the optical axis direction is required. Thus, it is possible to simplify the mechanism of the lens unit and to achieve a reduction in size by eliminating the space for such a guide means.

In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention can be applied to various types of imaging devices such as mobile phones, video cameras, still cameras and the like that have a function of capturing video or still images, or various types of lens units used in these imaging devices.

As an example of the imaging device 1, a mobile telephone is provided as shown in FIG. The imaging device 1 is combined to form a structure in which the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 can be folded together with the hinge portion 4.

The first housing 2 is provided with a speaker 5, a display portion 6, and an antenna 7. The antenna 7 is configured to expand and contract.

The second housing 3 is provided with various operation units 8 and microphones 9 including push buttons and rotary dials.

The imaging unit 10 is mounted on the hinge portion 4. For example, a push button, which is one of the operation units 8, can preset a function for image capture operation. By pressing and operating this operation part 8, the imaging unit 10 is operated to capture an image.

The imaging device 1 has a function of reading and identifying information such as various identification marks, for example, one-dimensional barcodes and two-dimensional barcodes 1000 and 2000 (see FIG. 2). When these barcodes are captured by the imaging unit 10, the code patterns are recognized, and information based on the recognized code patterns is read out.

Next, a configuration example of the imaging unit 10 will be described. Conveniently, the description will be made assuming that the optical axis direction (identified by S shown in Fig. 3) is the front-rear direction, and the subject is on the front side.

The imaging unit 10 is configured such that each constituting part is disposed in the lens barrel 11 formed by the imaging unit including the lens unit 10a and the imaging device described later. The lens barrel 11 is configured by extending the first member 12 and the second member 13 (see FIGS. 3 to 6). The first member 12 and the second member 13 are formed of a resin material such as polycarbonate, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first member 12 includes a base side portion 14 facing in the front-rear direction, a protrusion 15 protruding rearward from both left and right edges of the base side portion 14, and a base. It is integrally formed with the fitting protrusion part 16 which protruded rearward from the center part of the upper and lower edge of the side part 14. As shown in FIG.

The shallow circular receiving groove 17 is formed in the front side 14a of the base side 14 (see Fig. 7). The through hole 18 penetrated in the front-rear direction is formed in the center portion of the base side portion 14.

Ribs 19, which protrude rearward, are provided at positions around the transmission hole 18 at the rear face 14b of the base side portion 14 (see Fig. 8). The rib 19 is formed on a circular arc, is provided in the circumferential direction at equal intervals, and has the base 19a which protrudes a little back on each back surface. When the movable portion to be described later is moved forward, the pedestal 19a is in contact with the movable portion and has a function of restricting the forward movement of the movable portion. The position where the movable portion contacts the pedestal 19a is considered to be a macro stage in focus driving.

In the imaging device 1 to be described later, by supplying a current to the drive coil, the linear actuator is driven by moving from the infinite position to the macro-end side. Alternatively, by controlling the amount of current supplied, the movable portion can be moved forward of the position in contact with the pedestal 19a, the front position being a macro-end which is the front side moving the edge of the movable portion. It may be set.

The protruding portion 15 of the first member 12 is composed of three vertically extending portions, an upper projection portion 20, an intermediate projection portion 21, and a lower projection portion 22, respectively, in the order from the top to the bottom (Fig. 7 and 8).

The concave positioning portions 20a and 22a opened laterally and rearward are formed on the outer surfaces of the rear end of the upper projection 20 and the rear end of the lower projection 22, respectively (see Fig. 8).

The amount of rear projection for one of the upper projections 20 and one of the lower projections 22 is greater than the other. The outer edge of this more protruding position is formed as a spring receiving surface 20b.

The amount of rear protrusion of the intermediate protrusion 21 from the base side 14 is arranged to be smaller than the amount of rear protrusion of the upper protrusion 20 and the lower protrusion 22 from the base side 14. In the intermediate projections 21, the notches 21a that are open to each rear are formed in the center with respect to the vertical direction.

Both top and bottom ends of the base side portion 14 with respect to the rear face 14b are formed as four spring holding surfaces 14c (see Fig. 8). The spring clamping surface 14c is located between the upper protrusion 20 and the fitting protrusion 16 and between the lower protrusion 22 and the fitting protrusion 16, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the second member 13 includes a base side portion 23 facing the front and rear direction, a protrusion 24 projecting rearward from upper and lower sides of the base side portion 23, respectively, The fitting protrusions 25 protruding from the left and right central portions of the base side portion 23 to the rear, respectively, are integrally formed.

The shallow rectangular mounting groove 26 is formed in the rear surface 23a of the base side portion 23 (see Fig. 9). The light transmission hole 27 which penetrates back and front is formed in the center part of the base side part 23. As shown in FIG. As for the rear side surface 23a of the base side part 23, the positioning projection part 28 which protruded back in four corners, respectively is provided.

A rib 29 protruding forward is provided at a position around the light transmission hole 27 at the front side surface 23b of the base side portion 23 (see FIG. 7). The front surface of the rib 29 is provided with a pedestal 29a which slightly protrudes forward in the circumferential direction of the light transmission hole 27 at the separated position. When the movable portion is moved rearward, the pedestal 29a is in contact with the movable portion and has a function of regulating rearward movement of the movable portion. The position where the movable part contacts the pedestal 29a is considered to be an infinite position for focusing the operation.

On the front side surface 23b of the base side portion 23, a positioning pin 30 having a space vertically at the left and right ends thereof is provided (see Fig. 7). The side surface on which the positioning pin 30 with respect to the front side surface 23b of the base side part 23 was provided is formed as the spring accommodating surface 23c.

The right side surface 23d of the base side portion 23 is provided with a terminal mounting portion 31 having a vertical space therebetween.

Since the protruding portion 24 of the second member 13 is provided as the protruding portion 32, the portion closer to the left end and the portion closer to the right end protrude further forward than other portions. The short side surface of the projection part 32 is each formed as the spring clamping surface 32a (refer FIG. 7).

The positioning protrusion part 33 which protrudes forward is installed in the position just below the upper protrusion part 32, and is installed in the position just above the lower protrusion part 32. As shown in FIG.

Notched portions 25a open to the rear are formed in the fitting protrusions 25, respectively.

For example, the cover glass 34 is mounted by adhesion of the accommodation groove 17 formed in the front side surface 14a of the first member 12 (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

The first bias leaf spring 35 is mounted to the lens barrel 11 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The first bias leaf spring 35 is formed of a metal material rich in elasticity, for example, beryllium copper or the like. The thickness direction of the first bias leaf spring 35 may be substantially coincident or coincident in the front-rear direction, such as the optical axis direction. For example, this thickness is set to 0.07 mm. As shown in FIG. 10, the first bias leaf spring 35 is integrally formed with a holding part 36, four spring parts 37, four attachment parts 38, and a connection part 39.

This holding part 36 is formed in ring shape.

The spring portion 37 is horizontally formed in a shape substantially equal to the S-shape, and one end of the spring portion 37 extends at one of the respective positions positioned at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the holding portion 36. . The spring portion 37 includes an inclined portion 37a projecting slightly from the holding portion 36 in the radial direction, three parallel straight portion portions 37b extending vertically, and an adjacent line portion (adjacent line portion) ( An arc-shaped bent portion 37c connecting 37b) with each other is formed. One end of the straight portion 37b located at the innermost portion extends to one end of the inclined portion 37a.

The attachment portion 38 extends in the left and right direction, and extends to one of the ends of the straight portion 37b positioned at the outermost end at each outer end.

The connecting portion 39 is formed with a horizontal portion 39a extending in the left and right direction and a vertical portion 39b extending slightly vertically, and one end of each of the horizontal sections is a horizontal portion ( Extends into each one of the left and right ends of 39a). The other end of each one vertical portion 39 extends to the inner end of each one attachment portion 38, respectively. The connecting portion 39 is positioned such that the horizontal portion 39a is closer to the holding portion 36 than the attaching portion 38.

Since the spring portion 37 is linearly symmetric in the vertical direction and linearly symmetric in the left and right directions, the first bias leaf springs 35 are each configured such that the spring portions 37 provide the same spring force.

In the first bias leaf spring 35, the spring portion 37 is elastically deformed in the front and rear bending direction. Thus, the holding portion 36 is moved in the front-rear direction (such as the optical axis direction) with respect to the attachment portion 38. At this time, the force generated during the movement in the plane orthogonal to the optical axis is suppressed by the straight portion 37b and the bent portion 37c so that the holding portion 36 moves only in the optical axis direction.

The first bias leaf spring 35 has a lens barrel such that the attachment portion 38 is held by the spring clamping surface 14c of the first member 12 and the spring clamping surface 32a of the second member 13, respectively. 11) is attached.

When the first bias leaf spring 35 is not elastically deformed, the first bias leaf spring 35 is formed by one of each of the holding portion 36, the spring portion 37, the attachment portion 38, and the connecting portion 39. The surfaces in the thickness direction are each configured to be positioned on the same plane. That is, since the first bias leaf spring 35 can be simply formed by processing a flat plate-like material, it can be easily manufactured.

The second bias leaf spring 40 is mounted to the lens barrel 11 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The second bias leaf spring 40 is formed of a metallic material having elastic force, for example, beryllium copper or the like. The thickness direction of the second bias leaf spring 40 may coincide or almost coincide in the front-rear direction, such as the optical axis direction, except for the connection terminal portion to be described later. For example, the thickness is set to 0.05 mm. The second bias leaf spring 40 is formed with two spring members 41 having a shape that is linearly symmetric in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, the spring member 41 includes a holding portion 42, two spring portions 43, two attachment portions 44, a connecting terminal portion 45, and a coil connecting portion 46. ) Is integrally formed.

The holding part 42 is formed with the semi-ring.

The spring portion 43 is formed in the shape equivalent to the S-shape. One end extends to each one part separated at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the holding part 42. The spring portion 43 connects the inclined portion 43a which protrudes slightly from the holding portion 42 in the radial direction, the three parallel straight portions 43b extending in the left and right directions, and the adjacent straight portions 43b. It is formed by an arc-shaped bent portion (43c). One end of the straight portion 43b positioned at the innermost portion extends to one end of the inclined portion 43a.

Each attachment portion 44 extends to one end of one straight portion 43b, respectively, and one end is located at the outermost side. A positioning hole 44a is formed in the attachment portion 44.

The connecting terminal portion 45 extends to one attachment portion 44 and is bent by about 90 ° with respect to the attachment portion 44 and led backwards.

The coil connection part 46 protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral center part of the holding part 42, and is provided in the center part between the part which connects the holding part 42 and the spring part 43, respectively.

Since the spring portion 43 is linearly symmetric in the vertical direction and also linearly symmetric in the left and right directions, the second bias leaf spring 40 is configured so that each spring portion 43 provides the same spring force.

In the second bias leaf spring 40, the spring portion 43 is elastically deformed in the front-back bending direction so that the holding portion 42 is moved in the front-rear direction (such as the optical axis direction) with respect to the attachment portion 44. At this time, the force generated during the movement in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis is suppressed by the straight portion 43b and the bent portion 43c, so that the holding portion 42 is moved only in the optical axis direction.

The thickness of the second bias leaf spring 40 is thinner than the thickness of the first bias leaf spring 35, and the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35 is greater than the spring force of the second bias leaf spring 40.

The second bias leaf spring 40 is attached to the lens barrel 11 so that the positioning pins 30 of the second member 13 are inserted into each of the positioning holes 44a formed at the attachment portion 44, respectively. The attachment portion 44 is held by the first member 12 and the second member 13.

When the second bias leaf spring 40 is not elastically deformed, the surface in the thickness direction of each of the holding portion 42, the spring portion 43, the attaching portion 44 and the coil connecting portion 46 is the same. It is configured to be located on a plane. In addition, when the connection terminal portion 45 of the second bias leaf spring 40 is not bent by about 90 ° with respect to the attachment portion 44, the surface in the thickness direction and the thickness of the one attachment portion 44, respectively. The surfaces in the directions are each located on the same plane. Therefore, since the second bias leaf spring 40 can be formed by simply processing a flat plate-shaped material, it can be easily manufactured.

The yoke 47 is disposed inside the lens barrel 11 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 6). The yoke 47 is formed of a magnetic metal material and protrudes rearward from the inner periphery of the base 47a formed of a ring and the outer circumferential portion 47b protruding rearward from the outer circumference of the base 47a and the base 47a. It is formed together with the inner circumferential portion 47c.

The drive magnet 48 is disposed inside the yoke 47. The driving magnet 48 is formed of four portions 48a formed in the same shape and size, and the yoke 47 is provided so that each portion 48a is in contact with the base 47a and the outer circumferential portion 47b of the yoke 47. (See FIG. 6).

The movable portion 49 is disposed inside the lens barrel 11 in such a manner as to be movable in the optical axis direction. The movable part 49 has the lens holder 50, the drive coil 51, and the coil holder 52 (refer FIG. 3 and FIG. 4).

As shown in Fig. 12, the lens holder 50 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a positioning ring section 50a is provided at its front end. The holding rib 50b is provided at a position close to the front end of the outer circumferential surface of the lens holder 50 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The front edge of the retaining rib 50b is connected to the trailing edge of the positioning ring 50a. The surface of the holding rib 50b connected to the trailing edge of the positioning ring portion 50a is formed as a contact surface 50c perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The trailing edges of the lens holder 50 are provided with fitting projections 50d spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction.

A lens block 53 having a plurality of movable lenses or fixed iris diaphragms selectively functioning as a focus lens is mounted inside the lens holder 50 (see FIGS. 3 and 6).

The drive coil 51 is formed by being wound in a ring, the outer diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the drive magnet 48 (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 6).

The coil holder 52 is thin and is formed almost in a ring shape. A fitting groove 52a spaced apart in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface (see FIG. 12). The positioning ring part 52b is provided in the back surface of the coil holder 52 (refer FIG. 13). The upper and lower ends of the coil holder 52 are provided with coil winding protrusions 52c which respectively protrude in the vertical direction.

The movable portion 49 is configured such that the lens holder 50 to which the drive coil 51 and the lens block 53 are attached is mounted to the coil holder 52 (see FIGS. 3 and 14). The drive coil 51 is attached to the outer circumferential portion in front of the coil holder 52. When attached to the coil holder 52, each end is wound around each one of the coil winding protrusions 52c of the coil holder 52 (see FIGS. 13 and 14). The lens holder 50 is mounted to the coil holder 52 because the fitting protrusion 50d is fitted to the fitting groove 52a, respectively.

The movable portion 49 is held by the holding portion 36 of the first bias leaf spring 35 and the holding portion 42 of the second bias leaf spring 40 (see FIG. 14).

As shown in Fig. 14, the holding portion 36 of the first bias leaf spring 35 fits into the positioning ring portion 50a and is bonded to the contact surface 50c of the holding rib 50b, so that the lens holder ( 50). As shown in FIG. 13, the holding portion 42 of the second bias leaf spring 40 fits into the positioning ring portion 52b and is joined to the rear surface of the coil holder 52, thereby providing the coil holder 52. Is attached to.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the second bias leaf spring 40 is attached to the coil holder 52, the coil connecting portion 46 of the second bias leaf spring 40 is connected to the coil holder 52. Are respectively adjacent to the coil winding protrusions 52c. Each end of the drive coil 51 wound around each of the coil winding protrusions 52c is connected to one coil connecting portion 46 by solder 58, respectively.

The light shielding sheet 59 and the imaging unit 60 are attached to the second member 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The light shielding sheet 59 has a transmission hole 59a in the center portion thereof, and is mounted in a mounting groove 26 formed in the rear surface 23a of the second member 13 (see FIG. 6).

The imaging unit 60 is formed of an imaging housing 61, a control circuit board 62, an imaging device 63, and a cover 64.

The shallow groove 61a which opens to the front is formed in the imaging housing 61, and the imaging element 63 is arrange | positioned in this groove 61a. For example, CCD (Charge Coupled Dev ice) is used as the imaging element 63.

The control circuit board 62 is a circuit board which controls the imaging element 63 and supplies a current to the drive coil 51. The right end part of the board | substrate is provided with the connection part 62a which protrudes forward, vertically interposed (refer FIG. 3 and FIG. 4). The control circuit board 62 is attached to the rear surface of the imaging housing 61, and when the control circuit board 62 is attached to the imaging housing 61, the control circuit board 62 is attached to the positioning projection 28 provided in the second member 13. By this, the second member 13 of the control circuit board 62 is positioned.

The cover 64 is attached to the front side of the imaging housing 61 and protects the imaging element 63.

The imaging unit 60 is attached to the rear surface 13a of the second member 13 after the light shielding sheet 59 is attached.

In the following, an assembling procedure for the imaging unit 10 will be described.

First, the second bias leaf spring 40 is assembled to the second member 13. As described above, the assembly of the second bias leaf spring 40 with respect to the second member 13 is performed by the second member 13 in the positioning hole 44a formed in the attachment portion 44 of each spring member 41. This is performed by inserting each of the positioning pins 30). At this time, the connection terminal portions 45 of the second bias leaf spring 40 are disposed in the terminal mounting portions 31 of the second member 13, respectively.

Next, the movable portion 49 is assembled to the second bias leaf spring 40. In the situation where the movable portion 49 is assembled to the second bias leaf spring 40, as described above, the movable portion 49 is held by the holding portion 42 of the second bias leaf spring 40.

Then, the yoke 47 to which the drive magnet 48 is attached is assembled to the second member 13. The yoke 47 is assembled to fit inside the second member 13. The yoke 47 is positioned so that the trailing end is joined to a predetermined portion of the inner surface of the second member 13 (see FIG. 6). When the yoke 47 is attached to the second member 13, the drive coil 51 is positioned between the inner circumferential portion 47c of the yoke 47 and the drive magnet 48.

Accordingly, the drive coil 51 is disposed between the inner circumferential portion 47c of the yoke 47 and the drive magnet 48, whereby the linear actuator 65 is the yoke 47, the drive magnet 48, and the drive coil. It is formed with 51 (refer FIG. 6).

Next, the first bias leaf spring 35 is assembled to the movable portion 49. As described above, the assembly of the first bias leaf spring 35 to the movable portion 49 fits the retaining portion 36 to the positioning ring portion 50a and the contact surface of the retaining rib 50b. By bonding to 50c). When the first bias leaf spring 35 is assembled to the movable portion 49, the attachment portion 38 of the first bias leaf spring 35 is a front end of each of the protrusions 32 of the second member 13. It is positioned on the spring clamping surface 32a.

Subsequently, the first member 12 is assembled to the second member 13, and the first member 12 and the second member 13 are coupled to each other. The assembly of the first member 12 to the second member 13 inserts the positioning pins 30 of the second member 13 into the positioning portions 20a and 22a of the first member 12, respectively. It is done by making it fit.

As described above, the positioning pins 30 are respectively inserted into the positioning holes 44a of the second bias leaf spring 40. Therefore, the positioning pin 30 has a function of combining and positioning three members, the second bias leaf spring 40, the first member 12, and the second member 13. Therefore, the precision of positioning the 2nd bias leaf spring 40, the 1st member 12, and the 2nd member 13 can be improved, and a part score can be reduced by making the positioning pin 30 common.

In the example shown above, the second member 13 is provided with a positioning pin 30, and positioning portions 20a and 22a into which the positioning pin 30 is inserted are formed in the first member 12. . Alternatively, the first member 12 may be provided with a positioning pin, and the positioning portion into which the positioning pin is inserted may be formed in the second member 13. For example, in this case, the positioning hole into which the positioning pin is inserted can be formed in the first bias leaf spring 35 without forming the positioning hole 44a in the second bias leaf spring 40. have.

After the first member 12 and the second member 13 are coupled, one protrusion 24 of the second member 13 can be inserted between the upper ends of the protrusions 15 of the first member 12. One protrusion 24 of the second member 13 may be inserted between the lower ends of the protrusions 15 of the first member 12. Thus, the protrusions 15 and 24 form a square tube-shaped portion.

Therefore, the lens barrel 11 is easily assembled and, when viewed along the optical axis direction, is configured such that the outer portion having a substantially circular or round movable portion 49 is surrounded by the box-shaped lens barrel 11, so that the lens unit 10a ), The imaging unit 10 can be miniaturized. In addition, since the lens barrel 11 is formed in a box-shaped structure formed of the base side portions 14 and 23 and the protrusions 15 and 24, a structure having a small gap or clearance can be realized. It is possible to prevent dust from entering into the lens barrel 11.

As mentioned above, when the first member 12 and the second member 13 are coupled, the attaching portion 38 of the first bias leaf spring 35 has a spring clamping surface (1) of the first member 12. It is sandwiched and held by the spring clamping surface 32a of 14c) and the 2nd member 13. As shown in FIG. At the same time, the attachment portion 44 of the second bias leaf spring 40 is pressed against the spring receiving surface 23c of the second member 13, and the spring receiving surfaces 20b and 22b of the upper projection 20 are applied. ) And the lower protrusion 22 of the first member 12.

Therefore, the attachment portion 38 of the first bias leaf spring 35 and the attachment portion 44 of the second bias leaf spring 40 are retained by the first member 12 and the second member 13, A process such as adhesion is not particularly necessary in order to attach the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 to the lens barrel 11. Therefore, it is possible to improve workability in the process of assembling the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a.

Moreover, the attachment part 38 of the 1st bias leaf spring 35 is hold | maintained and fixed by the base side part 14 of the 1st member 12, and the protrusion part 24 of the 2nd member 13. Since the attachment portion 44 of the bias leaf spring 40 is held and fixed by the base side portion 23 of the second member 13 and the protrusion 15 of the first member 12, the first bias leaf spring is fixed. Since the fixed positions of the 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 with respect to the lens barrel 11 are orthogonal to each other, the first member 12 and the second member 13 do not have a complicated structure, and The first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 may be easily attached.

Next, the cover glass 34 is attached to the first member 12, and the light shielding sheet 59 and the imaging unit 60 are attached to the second member 13. It should be noted that the attachment of the cover glass 34 to the first member 12 may be performed before assembling the first bias leaf spring 35, the second bias leaf spring 40, the movable portion 49, and the like. do.

Next, the connection part 62a of the imaging part 60 attached to the 2nd member 13 is connected to the connection terminal part 45 of the 2nd bias leaf spring 40 by soldering etc., respectively.

After the first member 12 and the second member 13 are combined to form the lens barrel 11, the fitting protrusion 16 of the first member 12 is disposed between the protrusions 32 of the second member 13. It is inserted into and fitted in (FIG. 5).

The fitting protrusion 25 of the second member 13 is inserted between the upper protrusion 20 and the lower protrusion 22 of the first member 12 to be fitted, but the front end of the fitting protrusion 25 is the intermediate protrusion ( 2 1) away from the front end (see FIG. 15). Therefore, a cross-shaped opening is formed between the fitting protrusion 25 and the intermediate protrusion 21 to communicate with the inside of the lens barrel 11. This opening serves as an adhesive hole 66. The outer circumferential portion 47b of the yoke 47 is located at a position corresponding to the adhesive hole 66 (see FIG. 6).

In addition, when the first member 12 and the second member 13 are engaged, between the rear face 14b of the base side portion 14 of the first member 12 and the base 47a of the yoke 47. The predetermined space 67 is formed. This space 67 communicates with the bonding hole 66 (see FIG. 6).

An adhesive 68 is inserted and applied to the adhesive hole 66 formed in the lens barrel 11. For example, the adhesive 68 may be an ultraviolet curable adhesive.

The adhesive 68 applied to the bonding hole 66 passes through the bonding hole 66 and is formed between the rear face 14b of the base side portion 14 and the base 47a of the yoke 47. It also penetrates into. When the adhesive 68 of the bonding hole 66 is cured, three members, the first member 12, the second member 13, and the yoke 47, are bonded together (see Fig. 6). In addition, when the adhesive 68 is cured with respect to the space 67, the first member 12 and the yoke 47 are bonded together.

As described above, in the lens unit 10a, three members of the first member 12, the second member 13, and the yoke 47 are adhered by the adhesive 68 applied to the bonding hole 66. And the first member 12 and the yoke 47 are bonded together by the adhesive 68 penetrated into the space 67. Therefore, the bonding strength between the first member 12, the second member 13, and the yoke 47 is high, and anti-vibration and drop-and-impact strength can be improved. have.

In addition, since the bonding holes 66 are each formed crosswise, the bonding strength can be improved.

Alternatively, for example, an epoxy resin adhesive may be used as the adhesive 68. However, when epoxy resin adhesives are used, there are drawbacks. Although the curing rate is fast in two part adhesives, management is a problem. There is also a fault in one-component. Although easy to manage, the curing speed is slow. Therefore, as described above, by using an ultraviolet curing adhesive as the adhesive 68, it is possible to facilitate the management of the adhesive and to shorten the bonding process. In particular, when an epoxy resin adhesive is used, a curing time of 30 minutes or more is required. However, the ultraviolet curing adhesive needs a curing time of 5 seconds to 30 seconds, and the time required for the assembling process of the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a can be considerably shortened.

In addition, when a one-component thermosetting epoxy resin adhesive is used, not only the curing time is long, but also a problem that a dedicated heat treatment furnace is required may occur. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be increased, and the lens can be eccentric due to heat treatment. By using an ultraviolet curable adhesive as the adhesive 68, these problems can also be avoided.

In general, UV curable adhesives are known to have poor bonding strength to metal compared to bonding strength to resins. However, as described above, in addition to the adhesion between the yoke 47 formed of the metal material and the first member 12 and the second member 13 formed of the resin material, the agent 68 is formed of both of the resin material. Since the adhesive is adhered between the first member 12 and the second member 13, the yoke 47 can be firmly fixed to the lens barrel 11.

In the lens unit 10a, the positioning portions 20a and 22a formed on the upper projection 20 and the lower projection 22 of the first member 12 are disposed so as to have a concave shape and open in the lateral direction. As a result, the positioning pins 30 inserted in the positioning units 20a and 22a are exposed to the outside. Therefore, after joining the first member 12 and the second member 13, it is possible to perform bonding at the respective engaging portions between the positioning portions 20a, 22a and the positioning pins 30, respectively. As described above, by performing the bonding at the in-engagement portion between the positioning portions 20a and 22a and the positioning pin 30, the first member 12 and the second member 13 can be firmly fixed together. have.

As described above, the assembly of the imaging unit 10 is completed by bonding the first member 12 and the second member 13 to each other.

As described above, the light blocking sheet 59 and the imaging unit 60 are attached to the second member 13, and the yoke having the second bias leaf spring 40, the movable unit 49, and the driving magnet 48 mounted thereon ( 47), the assembly of the imaging unit 10 is performed such that the first bias leaf spring 35 and the first member 12 are assembled to the second member 13 in the order mentioned. Therefore, the assembling work of the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a can be easily executed, and the work time can be shortened.

Therefore, in the assembled imaging unit 10, the lens barrel 11 has an almost rectangular mother home, and the movable portion 49 has an almost circular shape when viewed along the optical axis direction (see FIGS. 16 and 17). . In this situation, the spring portion 37 of the first bias leaf spring 35 and the spring portion 43 of the second bias leaf spring 40 are located at four corners in the lens barrel 11.

Therefore, since the spring parts 37 and 43 require a minimum arrangement space, the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a can be miniaturized.

Therefore, in the assembled imaging unit 10, the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35 is larger than the spring force of the second bias leaf spring 40 as described above. Thus, when the drive coil 51 does not supply current, when the linear actuator 65 is not driven, as shown in FIG. 6, the movable portion 49 is biased by the first bias leaf spring 35. Is biased toward the image pickup section 60 side (rear side) in the optical axis direction, and the coil holder 52 is held at an infinite point when contacting and focusing on the pedestal 29a of the second member 13. At this infinity point, the first bias leaf spring 35 is arranged such that the retaining portion 36 is positioned in front of the attachment portion 38, and the second bias leaf spring 40 is attached to the retaining portion 42. It is arranged to be located at the rear of the portion 44.

In order to eliminate the influence of the pixel pitch or the sensitivity of the lens and to position the movable portion 49 at an infinite point, the imaging portion 60 can be adjusted by moving in the front-rear direction with respect to the second member 13, on the other hand, The coil holder 52 is in contact with the pedestal 29a of the second member 13.

Generally, the user of the imaging device 1 uses the apparatus 1 in the situation where the movable part 49 is in infinite point rather than a macro end. Thus, as described above, when the linear actuator 65 is not driven, the movable portion 49 is always maintained at infinity by the bias force of the first bias leaf spring 35, so that the electric force is used, for example, the frequency of use. Since it becomes unnecessary to reach the state infinity point, the electric power consumption can be reduced to a minimum.

Assuming that the movable portion is held more in the macro stage than infinity, the spring force of the second bias leaf spring 40 is greater than the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35. According to this configuration, the movable portion 49 can always be held in the macro stage by the biasing force of the second bias leaf spring 40 when the linear actuator 65 is not driven. As a result, it is possible to reduce the electric power consumption that the user uses more frequently.

An example of use in the macro-end of the imaging device 1 may be the case of reading the one-dimensional barcode and various display information for identifying the two-dimensional barcode 1000, 2000, etc. as shown in FIG.

When using the imaging device 1 as a portable device, it can arise in the movable part 49 which depends on the direction in which the imaging device 1 is hold | maintained. However, with respect to the infinite point which can be used more often as mentioned above, since the movable part 49 is pushed against the second member 13 by the biasing force of the first bias leaf spring 35, The difference in orientation in the movable portion 49 is less likely to occur, and the image quality can be improved.

In order to drive the linear actuator 65, a current is supplied to the drive coil 51. This supply of current is carried out via the control circuit board 62 and the second bias leaf spring 40 of the imaging section 60. In one example, the second bias leaf spring 40 serves as a current supply means in addition to biasing the movable portion 49. Therefore, since a dedicated means is unnecessary for the lens unit 10a in order to supply electric current to the drive coil 51, the number of configurations can be reduced.

When a current is supplied to the drive coil 51 in a predetermined direction, the linear actuator 65 drives the movable portion 49 to a position corresponding to the magnitude of the voltage toward the target object (front side) picked up in the optical axis direction. (See Figure 18). The movable portion 49 may be moved to the macro stage where the lens holder 50 contacts the pedestal 19a of the first member 12. In this macro end, the first bias leaf spring 35 is provided with a holding portion 36 in front of the attachment portion 38, and the second bias leaf spring 40 has a holding portion 42 with an attachment portion ( 44) is located at the rear. However, the deformation amount of the spring parts 37 and 43 changes because the movable part 49 moves forward. The position (in the optical axis direction) between the holding portion 36 and the attaching portion 38 is further spaced apart from the infinity point, respectively, between the holding portion 42 and the attaching portion 44. The position of (in the optical axis direction) is brought closer together compared to the infinite point

When the current supply to the drive coil 51 is turned off, the movable portion 49 is moved backward by the biasing force of the first bias leaf spring 35.

In the imaging device 1 as mentioned above, by supplying a current to the drive coil 51, the movable portion 49 is moved toward the target object (front) in the optical axis direction, and the drive coil 51 ), The movable part 49 is moved toward the imaging part 60 side (rear) in the optical axis direction. Therefore, the supply of current to the drive coil 51 can be made in only one direction, and the power consumption can be reduced during focus driving.

In addition, since the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 formed of the same material have different thicknesses, the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35 is reduced by the second bias leaf spring 40. An example larger than the spring force is shown as above. However, the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35 that is greater than the spring force of the second bias leaf spring 40 is not limited to a method in which both springs are formed of the same material but have different thicknesses. . On the other hand, various various methods such as changing the material forming the spring or changing the width and shape of the spring portion can be used.

As described above, in the lens unit 10a, the movable portion 49 is held by the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40. The moving force generated in the in-plane movable portion 49 orthogonal to the optical axis is suppressed by the straight portion 37b and the bent portion 37c of the spring portion 37 of the first bias leaf spring 35 and at the same time orthogonal to the optical axis. Since the moving force generated in the in-plane movable portion 49 is suppressed by the straight portion 43b and the bent portion 43c of the spring portion 43 of the second bias leaf spring 40, it does not incline or shift with respect to the optical axis. The movable portion 49 can be moved in the optical axis direction without causing any damage.

In addition, since the lens unit 10a of the present embodiment does not require a guide means such as a guide shaft for moving the movable portion 49 in the optical axis direction, the size of the lens unit 10a can be reduced in size by reducing the space required for simplifying and arranging the mechanism. Can be achieved.

In addition, since the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 are located on the opposite side of the movable portion 49, they are separated from each other in the optical axis direction. That is, the movable portion 49 is between the bias leaf springs. Besides. The movable part 49 is moved in a state biased backward by the first bias leaf spring 35 and forwardly biased by the second bias leaf spring 40. Thus, the movable portion 49 can be moved to and maintained at a new position with high positional accuracy.

Furthermore, the spring portions 37 and 43 of the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40 have an S-shape and a substantially S-shape having straight portions 37b and 43b and curved portions 37c and 43c, respectively. Since the springs 37 and 43 are formed in the same home form, the length in the small space can be increased. Therefore, while the size of the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a can be reduced, a sufficient amount of deformation with respect to the spring portions 37 and 43 for the moving stroke of the movable portion 49 can be ensured.

In addition, in the lens unit 10a, the first bias leaf spring 35 is configured such that the straight portion 37b of the spring portion 37 extends vertically, and the straight portion 43b of the spring portion 43 is In order to extend in the horizontal direction, the second bias leaf spring 40 is configured to rotate about 90 ° with respect to the first bias leaf spring 35. Therefore, the moving force which arises in the movable part 49 in the plane orthogonal to an optical axis can be suppressed efficiently.

Next, the relationship between the gravity light generated in the movable portion 49 and the spring force of the first bias leaf spring 35 will be described (see FIG. 19).

As described above, since the imaging device 1 is also used as a portable device, the posture can be changed depending on the use state.

For example, since the optical axis direction coincides in the vertical direction (up and down direction), the first bias leaf spring 35 having a spring force may be located below, and the weak second bias leaf spring 40 having a spring force may be provided. It can be located on top.

As shown in FIG. 19, even in this state, the movable part 49 is biased toward the 2nd bias leaf spring 40 side (upward) by the bias force P1 of the 1st bias leaf spring 35, The bias 49 is biased toward the first bias leaf spring 35 side (bottom) by the bias force P2 of the second bias leaf spring 40. In the first bias leaf spring 35, the second bias leaf spring 40, and the movable portion 49, gravity G1, G2, and G3 are directed downward in the vertical direction, which coincide in the optical axis direction, respectively.

In such a situation, in the imaging device 1, the upward bias obtained by subtracting the bias force P2 of the second bias leaf spring 40 from the bias force P1 of the first bias leaf spring 35. The force Ps is set to be larger than the sum Gt (G1 + G2 + G3) of gravity. Thus, even if the drive coil 51 is not supplied with the current, the movable portion 49 can be reliably held at infinity regardless of the use state of the imaging device 1. This is because the movable portion 49 is always pressed against the moving edge on the imaging portion 60 by means of the first bias leaf spring 35 regardless of the posture in which the imaging apparatus 1 is used.

In addition, when the movable portion 49 moves in the optical axis direction, the bias force obtained by subtracting the bias force P2 of the second bias leaf spring 40 from the bias force P1 of the first bias leaf spring 35. Ps changes by the deformation amount of the spring part 37 of the 1st bias leaf spring 35 and the spring part 43 of the 2nd bias leaf spring 40. As shown in FIG. When the movable portion 49 is at the infinity point t, the bias force Ps can be set to, for example, twice the sum Gt of gravity. When the movable portion 49 is located at the macro stage, the bias force Ps can be set to, for example, 5 to 10 times the sum Gt of gravity.

In the following, a modification of the bias leaf spring will be described (see Figs. 20 to 25). It should also be noted that the first and second modifications are schematically shown in the respective figures of FIGS. 20 and 21.

As shown in Fig. 20, each bias leaf spring 69 according to the first modification has a holding portion 69a, a spring portion 69b and an attachment portion 69c. The spring portion 69b is located diagonally with respect to the holding portion 69a. The position of the spring portion 69b of one bias leaf spring 69 is spaced apart from the position of the spring portion 69b of the other bias leaf spring 69 by 90 ° in the rotational direction with respect to the optical axis. .

By the simple structure using the bias plate spring 69 as described above, the movable portion 49 can move the movable portion 49 in the optical axis direction without causing inclination or shift with respect to the optical axis.

As shown in Fig. 21, the bias leaf spring 70 according to the second modification has a holding portion 70a, a spring portion 70b and an attachment portion 70c. The spring portion 70b is connected to the holding portion 70a at equal intervals in the rotational direction with respect to the optical axis.

By using the bias plate spring 70 as described above, the movable portion 49 can move the movable portion 49 in the optical axis direction without causing inclination or shift with respect to the optical axis with a simple structure.

As shown in Fig. 22, the bias leaf spring 71 according to the third modification has a retaining portion 71a, a spring portion 71b and an attachment portion 71c, and the spring portion 71b is almost spherical in shape. It is formed.

As shown in Fig. 23, the bias leaf spring 72 according to the fourth modification has a holding portion 72a, a spring portion 72b, and an attaching portion 72c, and the spring portion 72b is almost Z-shaped. It is shaped like.

As shown in FIG. 24, the bias leaf spring 73 according to the fifth modification has a holding portion 73a, a spring portion 73b, and an attachment portion 73c, and the spring portion 73b has a substantially W shape. It is shaped like.

As shown in FIG. 25, the bias leaf spring 74 according to the sixth modification has a retaining portion 74a, a spring portion 74b, and an attaching portion 74c, and the spring portion 74b has a spiral shape. Formed.

By using the bias plate springs 71, 72, 73, and 74 as described above, the movable portion 49 can move the movable portion 49 in the optical axis direction without causing an inclination or shift with respect to the optical axis with a simple configuration.

In particular, in the bias leaf spring 73 according to the fifth modification and the bias leaf spring 74 according to the sixth modification, the lengths of the spring portions 73b and 74b can be lengthened in a small space. The downsizing of the imaging unit 10 including the lens unit 10a can be achieved, and the amount of deformation of the spring portions 73b and 74b can be increased.

In the bias leaf spring 69 according to the first modification described above and the bias leaf spring 70 according to the second modification, spring portions 69b and 70b are schematically shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. However, the shape of the spring portions 69b and 70b may have substantially the same S shape as the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40. Also, as in the bias leaf spring 71 according to the third modification to the bias leaf spring 74 according to the sixth modification, the shape is almost spherical, almost Z-shaped, almost W-shaped or spiral-shaped, and the previous shape. It is possible to use almost any form of me shape.

Moreover, the shape of each spring part mentioned above is only an example, It is not limited to the said shape, Any spring part provided provided to have a shape which gives a biasing force to the movable part 49 as a leaf spring can be used.

Although the lens unit 10a is shown as an example of using focus driving above, the lens unit 10a may also use zoom driving.

Also, as shown in Fig. 26, the embodiment of the present invention can be used for the imaging device 1A which performs focus driving and zoom driving. An example of such an imaging device 1A is described below.

The imaging device 1A has a lens unit 10a provided inside the outer lens barrel 75. The lens unit 10a disposed on the front side is for zoom, and the lens unit 10a disposed on the rear side is for focus. The imaging unit 60 is provided at the rear end of the external lens barrel 75.

The first lens 76 is attached to the front end portion of the external lens barrel 75 as the first lens group, and the second lens 77 is mounted inside the external lens barrel 75 as the third lens group. . The second lens 77 is disposed between the lens units 10a. Therefore, each movable lens with respect to the movable part 49 of the front lens unit 10a functions as a 2nd lens group, and each movable lens with respect to the movable part 49 of the rear lens unit 10a is 4th. It functions as a lens group.

In this imaging device 1A, by moving the linear actuator 65 of the lens unit 10a on the front side, the movable portion is held by the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40. Since 49 is moved in the optical axis direction, the zoom operation is executed. By driving the linear actuator 65 of the lens unit 10a on the rear side, the movable portion 49 is moved in the optical axis direction while being held by the first bias leaf spring 35 and the second bias leaf spring 40, thereby focusing. Run

This imaging device 1A does not need a guide means such as a guide shaft. Therefore, the mechanism of the imaging device 1A can be simplified and the arrangement space can be reduced, so that the size can be reduced. Moreover, since each movable part 49 is hold | maintained by the 1st bias leaf spring 35 and the 2nd bias leaf spring 40, the movable part 49 does not incline or shift with respect to an optical axis, and the movable part 49 ) Can be moved in the optical axis direction.

The vertical and horizontal directions shown above are for convenience of explanation and are not limited to these directions.

In the above-described embodiment, the movable portion is formed to have an almost circular outline when viewed along the optical axis direction, and the lens barrel is formed to have an almost rectangular outline when viewed along the optical axis direction. And each spring portion of the bias leaf spring is located at one of four corners in the lens barrel. Therefore, only a minimum arrangement space is required for the spring portion, and the lens unit can be miniaturized.

In the above-described embodiment, each spring portion of the bias leaf spring is formed in a shape substantially equivalent to the S-shape. Therefore, since the large length of the spring portion can be secured in a small space, it is possible to reduce the size of the lens unit while ensuring a sufficient deformation amount of the spring portion for the moving stroke of the movable portion.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of bias leaf springs are installed to be on the opposite side of the movable portion in the optical axis direction such that a movable portion is located between the pair of bias leaf springs, and the pair of bias leaf springs The pair of bias leaf springs are arranged for biasing the movable part in such a manner as to approach each other in this optical axis direction. Thus, the movable portion can be maintained at the new position after the movement for high positional accuracy.

In the above-described embodiment, the spring portions of the pair of bias leaf springs are provided with straight portions each extending in a predetermined direction, and the pair of bias leaf springs is different from the straight portion of one bias leaf spring. The straight portions of the spring portion are perpendicular to each other. Therefore, any force generated in the in-plane movable portion perpendicular to the optical axis can be effectively suppressed.

In the above-described embodiment, the movable portion is used as the focusing movable portion, and the pair of bias leaf springs are formed to have different spring forces with respect to the movable portion, and if the linear actuator is not operated, the movable portion is biased. It is positioned at infinity point by the biasing force of the leaf spring. Therefore, since the lens unit is brought into the frequency of use (infinite point) without consuming electric force, power consumption can be reduced to a minimum.

The present invention claims priority in the 2005-037972 priority document filed with the Japan Patent Office on February 15, 2005, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

As shown in the above embodiments, the specific shapes and structures of the respective parts are only examples of the embodiments executed in carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Claims (12)

In the lens unit, A lens barrel in which the imaging optical system is disposed, A movable portion including a movable lens and configured to move in an optical axis direction associated with the lens barrel; A linear actuator configured to move the movable portion in the optical axis direction, A bias plate spring including a holding portion for holding the movable portion, a plurality of spring portions capable of elastically deforming and biasing the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and an attachment portion attached to the lens barrel, And a plurality of spring portions of the bias leaf springs configured to suppress a moving force generated in a movable portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The method of claim 1, The movable portion is formed to have an almost circular shape when viewed along the optical axis direction, The lens barrel is formed to have an almost rectangular shape when viewed along the optical axis direction, And each spring portion of the bias leaf spring is disposed at one of four corners in the lens barrel. The method of claim 1, Each of the spring portion is formed in a shape substantially equivalent to the S-shape lens unit. The method of claim 1, The pair of bias leaf springs are installed so as to be on the opposite side of the movable portion in the optical axis direction such that a movable portion is located between the pair of bias leaf springs, and the pair of bias leaf springs approach each other in the optical axis direction. And pressurizing the movable part. The method of claim 4, wherein Spring portions of the pair of bias leaf springs are provided with straight portions each extending in a predetermined direction, And the pair of bias leaf springs are configured such that a straight portion of one bias leaf spring and a straight portion of another bias leaf spring are perpendicular to each other. The method of claim 4, wherein The movable portion is used as a focusing movable portion, The pair of bias leaf springs are formed to have different spring forces with respect to the movable portion, And the moving part is positioned at an infinite point by a biasing force of the bias leaf spring if the linear actuator is not operated. An imaging device having an imaging element and a lens unit provided with an imaging optical system in a lens barrel, The lens unit, A movable portion including a movable lens and configured to move in an optical axis direction associated with the lens barrel; A linear actuator configured to move the movable portion in the optical axis direction, A bias plate spring including a holding portion for holding the movable portion, a plurality of spring portions capable of elastically deforming and biasing the movable portion in the optical axis direction, and an attachment portion attached to the lens barrel, And a plurality of spring portions of the bias leaf spring are configured to suppress a moving force generated in a movable portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The method of claim 7, wherein The movable portion is formed to have an almost circular shape when viewed along the optical axis direction, The lens barrel is formed to have an almost rectangular shape when viewed along the optical axis direction, And each spring portion of the bias leaf spring is located at one of four corners in the lens barrel. The method of claim 7, wherein And said spring portions of said bias leaf spring are formed in substantially the same shape as S-shape. The method of claim 7, wherein The pair of bias leaf springs are installed so as to be on the opposite side of the movable portion in the optical axis direction such that a movable portion is located between the pair of bias leaf springs, and the pair of bias leaf springs approach each other in the optical axis direction. And pressurizing the movable part. The method of claim 10, Spring portions of the pair of bias leaf springs are provided with straight portions each extending in a predetermined direction, And the pair of bias leaf springs is configured such that the straight portion of one bias leaf spring and the straight portion of another bias leaf spring are perpendicular to each other. The method of claim 10, The movable portion is used as a focusing movable portion, The pair of bias leaf springs are formed to have different spring forces with respect to the movable portion, And the moving part is positioned at an infinite point by a biasing force of the bias leaf spring if the linear actuator is not operated.

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